For months, our organizations have warned of an impending annihilation in eastern Aleppo. As the Assad regime and Russia bombed vital infrastructure and targeted innocent civilians, we appealed to the international community to take the necessary steps to stop the oncoming slaughter and protect our innocent children. Our calls fell on deaf ears.
Now, civilians in Aleppo are just days away from starvation. After more than 90 days of siege, over 250,000 people are trapped without access to basic foods, medicine, and fuel. Those who have not been driven from their homes risk extermination by the Assad regime and Russia—or a slow, cruel death due to the denial of aid and medical care. All the hospitals in eastern Aleppo have been bombed. The injured now have nowhere to turn. Our people are on the brink of annihilation, yet the world has failed to take any meaningful action to stop eastern Aleppo’s suffering or provide basic resources to those in need.
Global inaction has cost lives in Aleppo and across Syria. Yet limited global action can still save lives. Right now, there are concrete steps the international community can take to alleviate the suffering in eastern Aleppo and offer hope to those in need. With political will and determination, the annihilation of eastern Aleppo can still be prevented.